Celestial Weasel (celestialweasel) wrote,
Celestial Weasel
celestialweasel

Was the Khmer Rouge misunderstood?

The front cover of the latest (September) New Internationalist has this text on the front cover. I thought there was a small chance that this was a bizarre post-modern joke rather than odious Spartism, but it seems to be the latter according to Normblog http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2008/08/please-dont-let-them-be-misunderstood.html

I quote from Norm quoting the NI - needless to say I didn't buy a copy -
"There seems to be agreement that the majority of the deaths between 1975 and 1979 occurred from tropical diseases and famine related to a policy choice to send Cambodians to work in rural areas. If these deaths are being criminalized, it is because the leaders didn't make some other policy choice that would have been 'legal'. But is forced radical de-urbanization a crime against humanity, in a world where urbanization is leading us to an environmental crisis that could result in millions of deaths from similar causes and where forced urbanization through government land-grabs has yet to be put on trial? Is rural culture... to be criminalized?"

After which it seems appropriate that I pass the question over to LJ
Poll #1251282
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 16

Was the Khmer Rouge misunderstood?

View Answers
Yes
3(18.8%)
No
12(75.0%)
Pol Pot killed my family you insensitive clod
0(0.0%)
Odious Sparts killed my family you insensitive clod
1(6.2%)
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